In 1985 R.C. Sproul wrote a book that got a wide reading. At
the same time he produced a series of videos under the same title: The Holiness of God.
All over the country people watched and read as R.C.
expounded on Isaiah’s awesome experience of seeing God sitting on His throne in
His Heavenly Throne Room (Isaiah 6). Many Christians who were new to the faith
or mature in their faith grew in the grace and knowledge of the Gospel as a
result of the book and the video series. Churches around the country used both for
small group discussion and studies. It is said that Charles Colson, former
special counsel to the President of the United States, was discipled as a new
believer through this seminal work by R.C. Sproul.
Listen to what the editor of the book has to say about R.C.’s
work:
“Central to God’s character is the
quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what divine
holiness is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people don’t
quite know what to do with words like “awe” or “fear”. R.C. Sproul, in this
classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the
Christian life. He presents an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages
Christians to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness
of God, your life will never be the same.”
And while it might be true that encounters with God’s
holiness will change your life forever, it seems that many lives throughout the
Scriptures remained decidedly unchanged after an exposure with divine holiness.
Think of post-Red Sea Israel. Think of God’s people in the shadow of Sinai
bowing down to a golden calf. Think of Peter, James, and John after the Mount
of Transfiguration, etc. The truth is that, while there are abundant displays
of divine holiness throughout the Bible, in nearly every case of human
exposure, real and tangible heart change is rarely a byproduct. And nowhere is
that clearer than in this week’s text. This week we are back again in John 21,
taking another look at Jesus and Peter.
What we find here is the revelation of something far more
transformative than the holiness of God, and that’s the heart of God. What
Jesus shows Peter is His heart, and therefore, God’s heart!
There’s only one place in the whole of the Gospel where
Jesus opens the curtain and tells us the essence of His heart and that’s
Matthew 11. In Matthew 11:28-29 He speaks of His heart. In John 21 He reveals
it in all of its awesome transformative power.
In a message entitled, “Hope of a Future”, we will again be
in John 21:15-22 seeing the heart of the matter.
Two-hundred years ago Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“God is too
good to be unkind
and He’s
too wise to be mistaken.
And when we cannot trace His Hand,
we must trust His Heart.”
It’s His heart that we will see this week! In preparation
for Sunday’s message, you may wish to consider the following:
1. What was Jesus’ most frequently used name for God?
2. Why was this revolutionary for the Jews?
3. How would you describe the heart of God?
4. Can you find the meaning of Jesus’ revelation in Matthew
11:29?
5. What does he mean by “gentle and lowly”?
6. How does this square with verses 15-17 of John 21?
7. Last week Henry told us what Jesus means in verse 18 by
examining verse 19, but what else is Jesus saying in verse 18?
8. How did Peter’s betrayal of Jesus reveal his heart?
9. What other kind of death might Jesus be referring to in
verse 19?
10. What’s it mean to follow Jesus in light of His heart?
We’ll talk about all of it this week!
